Michael Wilson

Articles by Michael Wilson

Kevin Smith: Entrepreneurship, American-Style

One of my favorite directors, and one of the genuine voices of my generation, Kevin Smith has done what we all must do from time to time. He has, in just a few weeks, reinvented himself. Smith launched his own

'Smallville' is Breaking My Heart

First, some background. Two years ago, on a cloudy and cold Saturday morning, I met a guy in a K-Mart parking lot to hand him the cash in exchange for the goods. We nervously approached each other, after he arrived

'American Chopper' Shows Us the Best and Worst of Ourselves

American Chopper: Senior Versus Junior is reminding me, and many other entrepreneurs about everything right and wrong about business. But also, it’s reminding us about the best and worst of ourselves… that part of us that gets sucked into the

Mortal Enemies

A few weeks ago, I was going to write a piece demolishing a classic Hollywood Liberal who I’d been conversing with. I was going to take his Big-Government ideas and jam them squarely up his $Xmilllion-per-picture ass. But the more

Glenn Beck, CNN, John Nolte, the Canadians and Me

John Nolte, the Editor-in-Chief of Big Hollywood emailed me last night and asked if I had any interest in doing a piece about The Onion wishing Glenn Beck dead in this video. At first, I thought maybe it was a

I Wish Russell Simmons Were an Atheist

Russell Simmons confuses me. He’s one of the finest examples we have of an American kid from the most difficult circumstances imaginable hustling and struggling and pulling himself up by his own bootstraps to create a life for himself that

Adam McKay, Care to Debate Health Care Reform?

Dear Adam, We’ve gone back and forth this week, with me writing here at Big Hollywood and you Tweeting responses. The lastest from @GhostPanther came directly to @Wilson_Michael and you asked me a question. I have an answer, but I

UPDATE: Director Adam McKay Strikes Back

I have apparently raised the ire of Adam McKay, the rich and powerful film director who brought us “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “Step Brothers.” In a Tweet on Tuesday, McKay says that my last article (about Will

Why Does Will Ferrell Hoard His Money While Children Suffer?

Will Ferrell and the fine folks over at “Funny or Die” are picking the low hanging fruit once again. This time they’re going after nameless, faceless “Insurance Executives” in a “satirical” PSA about government-run insurance. But the real comedy is

(Perhaps) The Last Words I'll Write About Michael Moore

For better or worse, I have spent the last six years or so as a “go-to” authority on Michael Moore. In 2002, he said some things about my country that I was hurt by and some things about life that

A Father's Day Note to the President: Mind Your Own Business

I’m far from a perfect father. For example, just the other day, on my watch, my one-year old, Ben, who is now rumblin’, bumblin’ and stumblin’ all over the house, took a dive on the corner of our entertainment center

Michael Moore Keeps Pulling Me Back In

No matter what I’m doing now or what I do in the future, I’ll probably always be known as the guy who made “Michael Moore Hates America.” I often wonder why I picked a fight with Moore. I mean really,

My Contribution to the In-Fighting: Rap Isn't Crap

Ben Shapiro and Tim Slagle have engaged in a little back and forth in recent days about rap and whether or not it’s crap. I read the original piece. The response. The response to the response. The myriad of comments.

Michael Moore Trashed My Movie… My Response

Michael Moore wrote a piece for the Huffington Post last week. I didn’t find out about it until today because I was doing more important things like volunteering and watching my 6 year-old daughter’s all-girl hockey team beat up on

Geert Wilders Can Crash at My Place

Geert Wilders, the right-wing Netherlands politician (right-wing in Amsterdam means something entirely different than it does here…) has been denied entry to the United Kingdom because he made a little movie called “Fitna” that shows the passages terrorists use as

Al Franken: Failing Forward

Here in the frigid, overtaxed state of Minnesota, we know one thing about Al Franken… he’s persistent. I’d even venture to say he won’t be waiting for The One to finish out his term and run for a second as

Nothing To Hide

Last week, I wrote a little missive about why conservatives should stop complaining and start doing. I’d been saying it for years, beginning in 2004 when my movie and I were prematurely and wrongly heralded as the start of the

What Conservatives Need to Know About Hollywood

When I was trying to make my first little documentary, subtly entitled “Michael Moore Hates America,” I begged for money. Nothing new there, as begging for money is as much a part of life for independent filmmakers as it is